The following devotional was written by my dear friend Michelle Skow. I have always been blessed by her insights on the scripture and I’m thrilled to be able to share her with you! 
In Genesis 18:10-15, the Lord told Abraham that within a year Sarah would have a child. The Bible says that Sarah, old and barren, laughed to herself inside the tent where she was standing. When God asked why she laughed, Sarah lied to him, denying it. Think about that – Sarah lied to God right to His face! The most amazing part is not that Sarah laughed at what God said, then lied to Him about it. The amazing part is God’s response: “Yes, you did laugh.” And He let it go. No fire and brimstone from Heaven. No curse. Nothing. In fact, no more of the conversation is recorded. Poor Abraham must have been speechless, because according to Scripture he didn’t even get a word in edgewise!
Flash forward to the New Testament, to Acts 5:1-10. Ananias and Sapphira were probably excited to be a part of the new, emerging church. They saw other believers selling off their lands or houses and bringing the money and laying it at the apostles’ feet. (Acts 4:34-35) You can imagine the accolades those people were receiving. Ananias and Sapphira wanted in on things. They too sold land and brought the proceeds to the apostles with one big difference: they lied. They kept a portion of the money for themselves, but claimed that they were giving it all. Peter said, “You have not lied to men but to God.” We all know how the story ends. Ananias and Sapphira each lied, fell down instantly, and died.
Two stories, two lies, two separate reactions from God. Did God change from the Old Testament to the New? No, it is impossible for God to change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8) Why didn’t Sarah die instantly, but Ananias and Sapphira did? I believe the difference was in their hearts. Sarah loved and trusted the Lord, and God knew her heart. So much so, that when she lied to Him, He was gracious to her. He looked past her momentary lapse of reason directly into her faithful, trusting soul. He is merciful.
As for Ananias and Sapphira, what did God see when He looked into their hearts? Pride, greed, selfish ambition? They were two people so desperate to fit in and make a name for themselves that they were willing to tell a big whopper to the apostles just to gain some temporary glory. They were never under any obligation to give all of the money to the apostles, but pride prompted them to lie. They let sin harden their hearts to the beauty of the Gospel. They heard the truth, but rejected it for a lie.
What does God see right now as He is looking at your heart? Today, I pray that each of us would have the courage to say to the Lord what the Psalmist said. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 138:23-24) Open your heart to the Lord; lay your soul bare to Him, get honest with God so that He can get honest with you, believing that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
Copyright © 2008 Michelle E. Skow
I think it is interesting that for all these years we have assumed that God was the one that killed Ananias and Sapphira, when it never says that at all. I think it was their own expectation, based on their opinion of how they thought God would react to their sin that caused them to perish so suddenly. It would be highly unlikely that God would strike them dead, when throughout history He has shown great patience with sinners. It is very uncharacteristic of His nature to immediately slay someone like that. Just my opinion.